Cooking

“Just when you think you have seen it all in the world of pasta, enter Chris Borgatti. He is the maestro at Borgatti’s on 187th Street in the Bronx. His lemon pepper pasta is amazing. Here’s my take on it. By the way, it’s great with a number of culinary preparations and the perfect foil under shrimp scampi. Enjoy.” -Chef Paul Magro

Ingredients…

1 lb. Lemon Pepper Pasta

4 tbsp. Unsalted butter

3 lemons – remove the zest with a micro-plane

2 cups heavy cream

1 ½ cups arugula roughly chopped

Small handful arugula for garnish

½ cup parmigiano-reggiano (have more for the table)

Pasta water – as needed

Salt for pasta water

Fresh ground pepper

Cut cherry tomatoes

Directions…

1. In a large pot bring 5-6 quarts of water to a rolling boil.
2. In the meantime, melt the butter in a 12” saute pan.
3. When the butter is melted add the lemon zest and warm until quite fragrant.
4. Add the cream and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and reduce cream volume by ¼.
5. When water comes to a boil add salt and cook pasta until al dente
6. When the pasta is al dente, remove from the pot using tongs by lifting the pasta out of water. Place in pan with cream sauce. Please do not put pasta in colander. You need the extra moisture. Remember to save a cup or so of the pasta water.
7. Heat sauce, add cheese and toss pasta. Add chopped arugula, fresh ground black pepper and toss. If sauce is too thick, add some pasta water and thin to desired consistency.
8. Place in a heated bowl and garnish with arugula and cut cherry tomatoes if desired.

Shrimp in Lemon Cream Sauce with Black Squid Ink Pasta

Ingredients…

1lb. Borgatti’s Squid Ink Pasta

20 Large Shrimp, peeled & deveined

1 Large Onion chopped or 2 sliced Leeks

Zest of 2 Large Lemons

Garlic

4 Tablespoons of Minced Fresh Parsley

1/2 Cup of Cream

1/2 Dry White Wine

3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons of Butter

4 Sliced of Prosciutto chopped

Directions…

Have water boiling for pasta

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sautee shrimp for 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Remove and keep warm. Meanwhile, add pasta to boiling water and cook.

Lower heat on skillet to medium and add the butter. Add chopped onion and sautee for a few minutes. Add garlic and prosciutto and sautee for 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half. Add the cream, lemon zest, and half the parsley. Simmer until thickened. Return shrimp to the sauce and turn off the heat.

When pasta is cooked, drain in a colander, then return to the skillet and toss with the sauce and shrimp. Top with parsley and add a few slices of lemon.

Serves 4

Drop in ravioli, fry until golden brown. Serve immediately!

The Easiest Appetizer ever. Only deep frying can improve on Borgatti’s ravioli.

Ingredients…

Borgatti’s small cheese ravioli – fresh only – not frozen.
Light Olive Oil for frying.

Directions…

In a large dutch oven or fryer heat at least 3″ of olive oil to 325*

Cut a small corner off one ravioli and drop in oil to test temp. If it fries, oil is ready. Keep in mind not to crowd the pan with too many ravioli, or they will not cook evenly.

Drop in ravioli, fry until golden brown. Serve immediately!

Mario has been known to prepare this for the Borgatti’s crew at lunchtime. His is the best, but we recommend trying your hand at it.

Ingredients…

One pound Borgatti’s fresh fettuccine
8 strips of bacon
6 ounces of unsalted butter
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
6 ounces thickly sliced prosciutto di Parma
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1/3 cup white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano
1 egg yolk
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions…

TIP: As with Fettuccine Alfredo, timing is everything with this dish, mise-en-place preparation is recommended. Borgatti’s fresh fettuccini takes just 4 to 5 minutes to cook and should not be allowed to dry out after removal from the water.

While water is setting up to boil, cook bacon and drain it thoroughly. Cut prosciutto and bacon into half-inch squares. Melt butter in a saucepan, add minced onion and saute over a low flame until onion is translucent. Add cut up bacon and prosciutto and stir over a low flame for 3 to 4 minutes. Pour wine into saucepan and raise flame to bring mixture to a low boil for 5 minutes while stirring. Add cream and milk and bring to a low boil again for 5 minutes. While sauce is cooking, salt the boiling water for the fettuccine, drop the pasta and boil for 4-5 minutes stirring occasionally so noodles do not stick. Lower flame on sauce, add parsley and approximately half of the grated cheese. Pour mixture over cooked, drained pasta. Add the egg yolk and toss pasta and sauce together thoroughly. Add the remaining grated cheese and freshly milled black pepper to individual portions.

A perfect dish for a chilly day. Serve this traditional Bolognese sauce over Borgatti’s egg or whole wheat noodles.

Ingredients…

1/3 cup olive oil
2 ounces salt pork (unsmoked bacon or pancetta may be substituted)
1 clove finely chopped garlic
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped celery
1 lb. ground, lean beef
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup light cream
2 cups broth (28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes may be substituted)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup peas
2 ounces butter (1/2 stick)
salt & pepper to taste

Directions…

In a saucepan, heat the diced salt pork in the oil until the pork is light brown in color. Remove the salt pork from the pan and add the finely chopped garlic, brown to taste. Add the onion to the oil and cook until translucent. Add the carrot and celery and cook until they soften and begin to change color. Add the ground beef – stir and cook until it browns. Pour in the wine and increase the heat to get a boiling action while stirring while stirring. Pour in the light cream and bring to a boil for three minutes. Dilute the tomato paste in the broth and add to the saucepan. Add the peas, cover the saucepan and allow to simmer for 45 minutes. Add the butter, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Stir well and allow to cook at a simmer for 15 minutes.

Serve over Borgatti’s Egg Noodles.

Mario’s grandson, Nick Pizzonia, is the gourmet of the family. He spares no expense in time or ingredients. Once you try his recipe for baby back ribs, you’ll never go back.

Ingredients…

Dry Rub Ingredients for 3 sections of baby back ribs:

How can you improve on Fettuccine Alfredo? Add lobster.

Ingredients…

One pound Borgatti’s fresh fettuccine
4 T butter
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Tail and claw meat from 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lb. Maine Lobster (Or more, your choice)
Chive or Parsley for garnish

Directions…

For the lobster: Most markets sell lobster meat or will cook the lobster for you so take advantage of this. Otherwise see below or click this link: How to Cook Live New England Lobsters Once cooked, rough chop lobster and set aside.

Pre-Boil 6-8 quarts of water in large pot.

Melt butter in a small saucepan, then add heavy cream and bring to a boil.

Salt the water and drop the fettuccini, boil uncovered 4-5 minutes or until desired doneness. While pasta is boiling….
Allow sauce to simmer while noodles cook. Drain noodles QUICKLY and transfer noodles to a warm bowl and add cream sauce. Toss noodles rapidly with sauce and add cheese, toss again – when sauce starts to slightly thicken, gently toss in lobster. Garnish with chopped parsley or chives. Serve immediately.

Tip #1: Should your sauce “seize up” or dry out, add some of the water you boiled the pasta in, a tablespoon at a time until it gets creamy again.

Tip #2: You can substitute Borgatti’s dry egg noodles for the fresh.

Tip #3: If you are making a larger recipe, go with the larger lobster, especially if your fish market will cook them for you. They are usually cheaper and the lobster is just as tender when cooked properly – not to mention you will reap the reward of generous claw meat. And take them up on the offer to crack the claws of those 4 lb lobsters unless you have a vice and jackhammer handy.

How to Cook Live New England Lobsters

* Cooked New England Lobster Fill a large pot two thirds full with water. Add 1/2 cup of salt per gallon of water and bring to a boil.

* Place the lobster into the boiling water head first, making sure that it is completely submerged.

* Cover the pot and return to boil.

* Cook lobster according to size: 10 minutes for the first pound and 3 additional minutes for for each additional pound.

* You will know that the lobster is fully cooked when the lobster is bright red and when the antennae pull out easily.

Ingredients…

8 squares fresh cut manicotti pasta
1 pound ricotta
1 whole egg
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons minced parsley leaves
Salt and pepper
Marinara Sauce, recipe follows

Directions…

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and set a large pot of water on the stovetop to boil.

In a bowl, combine the ricotta, egg, Parmesan, parsley, and salt and pepper. Set this filling aside.

Cook the manicotti in boiling water for minute. After they’ve cooked for one minute, remove the pot from the heat but do not drain the manicotti squares in a colander as the noodles often stick together. Instead, run cold water into the pot until you can fish the manicotti squares out safely with your fingers. Shake off the excess water as you remove each square. It is usually best to place the squares on a clean cloth to further blot them.

Lay the squares flat on a cloth, placing the filling across the center of the dough, leaving a little room at the edges on each side. Turn up the edge nearest you so that it lies on top of the filling. Now turn the edge farthest from you towards you so that it lies on top of the first edge. You now have a cannoli-like tube. Spread 1 ladleful of the sauce onto the bottom of a 9 by 12-inch baking pan. Turn the manicotti over and place seam-side down in the baking pan on top of the sauce. Continue until the pan has a layer of manicotti. Spoon 2 more ladlefuls of sauce over the top and bake for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit 10 minutes before serving. Serve with additional sauce for individual servings.

Marinara Sauce:

1/3 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 (28-ounce) cans crushed plum tomatoes
10 basil leaves, chopped (or 1 tablespoon dried)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, heat the oil. Saute the garlic, salt, and pepper for 5 minutes or until the garlic is softened. Add the remaining ingredients, then raise the heat to medium-high, and bring to a simmer, stirring often. Simmer for 30 minutes. The sauce can be stored for up to 5 days in the refrigerator and several months in the freezer.

Yield: about 5 cups

A family favorite. This recipe can be used as a base for more elaborate Alfredo dishes, but be sure to try it straight-up first to appreciate the simple yet decadent flavor and texture of Fettuccini Alfredo.

Ingredients…

One pound Borgatti’s fresh fettuccine
6 ounces of butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions…

TIP: Because timing is everything with this dish, mise-en-place preparation is recommended. Borgatti’s fresh fettuccini takes just 4 to 5 minutes to cook and should not be allowed to dry out after removal from the water.

Pre-Boil 6-8 quarts of water in large pot. Salt the water and drop the fettuccini, boil uncovered 4-5 minutes. While pasta is boiling…. In a double boiler carefully melt butter, then add heavy cream. Wisk in 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese and combine sauce. Drain noodles QUICKLY and transfer noodles to a warm bowl. Toss noodles rapidly with sauce and add egg yolk – Serve piping hot. Add remaining grated parmesan and black pepper to taste.